Lack of oversight for N.S. fire school symptom of ‘Wild West’ reality: fire expert
Growing safety concerns at the Nova Scotia Firefighters School have prompted questions about oversight, and some say highlight larger issues with the fire service the province has left unaddressed for decades.
The fire school in Waverley, N.S., is a key site for both career and volunteer firefighters in the province. It offers training courses and equipment, and is where most members get tested for their professional qualifications.
But it’s been under the microscope since Skyler Blackie, a full-time firefighter with the Truro Fire Service, died in March 2019 after the expired fire extinguisher he was using exploded during a certification exam.
A court case resulted in the school admitting in 2022 that it failed to perform routine inspections and keep adequate records. The Blackie family recently learned the training facility received 41 new safety recommendations as a result of a third-party review. Nova Scotia’s Labour Department said 22 “high-risk activities” were noted by Occupation Health and Safety officers in July.
On Friday, the province said it had issued a stop-work order for the school, halting training classes indefinitely.
Denys Prevost, a retired firefighter in Hammonds Plains who spent his career in Nova Scotia and Ontario, said the school gets some provincial grants but relies heavily on course fees and fundraising.
“You get what you pay for — and unfortunately, I think that’s what we’re seeing now,” Prevost said.
Prevost started his career in Waverley in 1978, not long after the fire school was established in 1967. He said he’s logged many hours at the school over the years, which he said was set up originally to deliver professional training to firefighters in the absence of provincially mandated programs.
The fire school, and the province’s professional qualifications board that is located at the same Waverley site, uses national training standards — but they’re not actually required under Nova Scotia law.
In Nova Scotia, municipalities and fire departments set their own expectations and standards for service. Because the province only has a limited pool of money levied from the insurance sector that departments can tap into for some training, fire halls are left to fundraise or pay out of pocket for courses or tests at the fire school.
“Down here it’s pretty much the Wild West,” Prevost said. “I don’t think the legislation needs strengthening. The legislation just needs to exist because it’s not there.”
The law that most closely describes firefighting standards is the Municipal Government Act, which simply states members should “endeavour to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading.”
The school is a non-profit with executive director John Cunningham at the head. Cunningham sits on the board that runs the school, alongside the provincial fire marshal, Doug MacKenzie, and fire service members from across Nova Scotia.
But when asked which body oversees the school and enforces any standards or oversight, the province said it’s split among multiple departments. They include Labour, Advanced Education and the Office of the Fire Marshal that falls under the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Skyler Blackie was using an expired fire extinguisher when it exploded on him. His family learned this week he had alerted instructors the extinguisher was rusty right before he died. Angela MacIvor has the story.
It’s unclear what the fire marshal’s responsibilities are when it comes to the school, or how often they conducted inspections.
This is very different from other Atlantic provinces, whose schools are often run through the fire marshal’s office or a community college.
Scott Poupart, president of the New Brunswick Association of Fire Chiefs, said in their province the fire marshal’s office provides training funds to fire departments, and uses the New Brunswick Community College as its “training arm.”
Other provinces like N.B. mandate training level
New Brunswick also legislatively requires all firefighters to have a certain level of training.
Poupart said their model of provincial oversight is important to ensure the course quality at the community college keeps up with the complex demands of firefighting, especially amidst climate change.
“I think it’s very important that the government and the Office of the Fire Marshal and NBCC and the fire service, we all work hand in hand to ensure that we’re well equipped and that, you know, trying to stay a step ahead,” Poupart said.
Newfoundland has its own independent fire office, headed by a commissioner.
That type of fire office and provincial standards are two key things the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia has requested for more than 20 years, said president Greg Jones, chief of the Amherst Fire Department.
“It’s just very important to have a way to co-ordinate fire service standards and training right across the board in our province and to ensure that there’s proper governance around that,” Jones said.
Former premier Stephen McNeil proposed legislation to set up a fire commissioner back in 2008, when he was a member of the opposition Liberals. It never moved ahead, and it’s unclear why McNeil never resurrected the issue when his own party took power.
Minister met with firefighters
Labour Minister Jill Balser met last week with firefighters like Joe Triff, a member of the Atlantic Provinces Professional Fire Fighters Association.
Triff said it was a “positive, productive” conversation with Balser, and the minister committed to consulting with other ministers about what the future of the Waverley school could look like.
“Trying to sit down to see what options exist, whether there’s a change in funding or whether there’s a change in status for the facility,” Triff said.
